AP US Government and Politics
This AP U.S. Government and Politics course is a non-partisan introduction to the foundations and systems of United States Government. This course will introduce students to key political concepts, ideas, institutions, policies, and roles of the constitutional system and the political culture of the United States. Students will read and interpret data, make comparisons and applications, and make evidence-based arguments from Supreme Court decisions and U.S. foundational documents. This is organized around five units and a research project which focus on major topics in U.S. government and politics. This is a one-semester-long course.
RECOMMENDED PREREQUISITE: US History
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Basic and On Demand are always open for registration.
Plus courses are created upon request.
ONE-SEMESTER COURSE
Unit 1: Foundations of American Democracy
- The Basic Function of Government
- American Democracy
- Constitutional Foundations
- The Declaration of Independence
- Building the Constitution
- The U.S. Constitution
- The Basic Principles of the Constitution
- Inside the Constitution
- The Bill of Rights
- Powers Divided
- Evolution of Federalism
- The Anti-Federalists and Brutus 1
- The Federalist Papers
Unit 2: Interactions Among Branches of Government
- The House of Representatives
- The Senate
- Bills and Resolutions
- Legislation to Law
- The Nature of a President
- Presidential Roles
- The White House
- The Budget
- The Nature of the Bureaucracy
- The Cabinet
- Other Bureaucratic Bodies
- Checks on the Bureaucracy
- State and Local Courts
- The Federal Court System
- Historical Supreme Courts
- The Nature of the Supreme Court
- The Modern Supreme Court
Unit 3: Civil Liberties and Civil Rights
- Incorporation
- Freedom of Religion
- Freedom of Speech
- Freedom of the Press
- The Fourth Amendment
- Due Process and Criminal Rights
- The Civil Rights Movement
- Civil Rights Legislation
- Equality Before the Law
Unit 4: American Political ideologies and Beliefs
- Political Participation
- Party Identification
- Politics, Polls, and the Press
Unit 5: Political Participation
- The Two-Party System
- Third Parties
- Party Function and Structure
- Political Party Eras
- Voting Behavior and Intensity
- Financing Elections
- Congressional Elections
- The Electoral College
- Presidential Elections